Maine doesn’t require you to hire a lawyer to buy or sell property. Plenty of closings happen with just a title company. So when is a real estate attorney worth it? More often than you might think, especially with the kind of property we have in this part of the state.
What a real estate lawyer actually does
On a typical purchase, we:
- Review the purchase and sale agreement before you sign, or negotiate changes
- Search the title back through the records at the county registry of deeds
- Spot liens, unpaid taxes, and other problems that need to be cleared
- Prepare the deed and closing documents
- Explain everything at the closing table so nothing is a surprise
On a sale, we make sure the deed is right, the old mortgage gets paid off, and you aren’t promising anything in the contract you can’t deliver.
Older Maine property has older problems
A lot of land around Bangor has been owned by the same families for a long time, and the paperwork shows it. We regularly find:
- Boundaries described by trees, stone walls, or a neighbor’s barn that’s long gone
- A camp road that everyone uses but nobody ever put in writing
- A house still in the name of someone who died years ago
- Land in the Tree Growth or Farmland tax programs, which carries a penalty if it comes out
None of these are rare, and most can be fixed. But it’s a lot easier to fix them before closing than after.
Situations where you really want a lawyer
- Waterfront or lake property, where shoreland zoning, setbacks, and water access are all in play
- Rural land or land being split up, where access and boundaries are often unclear
- Commercial property or leases, where the contract terms matter a lot more
- Buying or selling as part of an estate, where probate and real estate overlap
- For-sale-by-owner deals, where no agent is checking the paperwork
Leases and easements
Real estate law isn’t just closings. We draft and review commercial and residential leases, write easements that make a shared driveway or right-of-way official, and help landlords and tenants resolve disputes. A clear easement now can prevent a fight with the neighbors twenty years from now.
Why Gray & Palmer
This firm started as a real estate practice in 1983, and property work is still at the core of what we do. We handle closings and title work in Bangor and Brewer and throughout Penobscot, Hancock, and Waldo counties.
If you’re buying, selling, or have a question about a deed, call us at (207) 945-5502. Learn more on our real estate law page, or read our legal checklist for home buyers.
This article is general information about Maine law, not legal advice for your situation. Reading it doesn't create an attorney-client relationship. If you have a specific question, call us at (207) 945-5502.
